In a new Oct. 6 report, researchers from Brown’s Annenberg Institute analyzed teacher professional learning practices in Rhode Island and offered a variety of recommendations for improvement.
Developed alongside the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association and the Rhode Island Department of Education, the findings center on “professional learning” — initiatives training teachers on ways to improve student learning and support. Common examples include reviewing curriculum materials, lesson planning, examining student work and career coaching.
When effective, professional learning assists educators’ daily tasks, offers checks on teaching improvements and garners backing among instructors, wrote Brenda Santos, director of Rhode Island research partnerships and networks at the Annenberg Institute, in an email to The Herald.
The institute’s report focused on how state and district leaders implement professional learning in public schools by examining four key themes: strategy, budget, personnel and time.
Most districts surveyed by the Institute had two or three professional learning days during the 2024-25 school year.
For Jeannine Nota-Masse, superintendent of Cranston Public Schools, securing funding and ensuring an effective use of time are two of the biggest difficulties with implementing more professional learning days.
The institute recommended that funding for professional learning be stabilized across years, allowing school districts to plan out their long-term professional learning goals, prioritize local initiatives and have higher retention rates for instructional coaching positions. Coaches are professionals hired by schools to support curriculum development and student instruction.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhode Island increased spending on professional learning, according to the institute’s report. The study also found that total investment has since declined, but districts are now allocating about 3.5% of their budget to professional learning, far more than ever before.
In an email to The Herald, Nota-Masse wrote that, since the initial expiration of COVID-19 relief funding in 2024, it “has become significantly more difficult to develop stable, effective (professional learning) plans.” Between the 2020-21 and 2023-24 academic years, Rhode Island spent $70.9 million of this funding on professional learning.
Since school districts can no longer rely on federal funding, “it would be fiscally irresponsible to base long-term (professional learning) planning” on federal dollars, she added. “Until state education funding becomes more equitable and predictable, this will always be a challenge.”
The report also suggested establishing a defined instructional coaching model, along with appropriate training and more support for coaches and school leaders. Half of last year’s coaches had three or fewer years of experience, a result of high turnover rates. The institute cited unpredictable funding as one key factor in these rates.
In 2024, Rhode Island allocated $5 million to the Instructional Coaching Corps, a grant program that provides funding for instructional coaches. The U.S. Department of Education also provided $40 million in funds to back this program.
Inconsistent funding and job instability have caused educators to hesitate about starting a coaching career, Santos wrote.
The federal grant is “a great start,” Santos added, writing that inconsistent funding and job instability have caused educators to hesitate about starting a coaching career. But she also noted that state agencies typically play “the critical role” in implementing these recommendations.
In 2019, Rhode Island passed the Right to Read Act that required teachers to become well-versed in the science of reading, a method of teaching literature backed by cognitive research. Further legislation required school districts to implement new high-quality curriculum materials in English language arts, math and science.
Despite this statewide legislation, professional learning and development vary widely across the state.
“Each school district in Rhode Island operates under different collective bargaining agreements, which outline the terms for professional learning, including time allocation and compensation,” Nota-Masse explained.
The state’s focus on “creating a statewide, uniform (professional learning) plan is challenging. Each district must assess its specific needs and set goals that align with its (collective bargaining agreement),” Nota-Masse wrote.
Each local union negotiates the professional learning clauses of their contracts based on unique teacher needs, wrote Mary Barden, executive director of the National Education Association Rhode Island, in an email to The Herald. The NEARI is a statewide teachers’ union and professional organization.
“What educators want and need from professional learning varies by grade level, content area and years of experience — a veteran high school math teacher has very different needs than a first-year kindergarten teacher,” Barden wrote. “Educators often report that professional learning isn’t relevant or valuable to their work.”
Beyond the Oct. 6 report, the Annenberg Institute is continuing to focus on professional learning. Santos shared that the Rhode Island Education Research Initiatives team is continuing to facilitate a professional learning network of six school districts.
Those districts participate in “year-long, deep collaboration and shared learning focused on implementing research-based professional learning strategies.” Santos added they will also “continue working with the RIDE to understand the impact of their investment in teacher coaching in Rhode Island.”
